6 posts and columns on open standard

Codec Capers: Google Drops H.264 Support in Chrome

in News on January 11, 2011 at 3:42 pm PT

Here’s one way to spur adoption of your new video codec. End your browser’s support for a widely used rival codec. That’s what Google did today, announcing that its Chrome browser will ship without native support for H.264.

Google’s “Royalty-Free” WebM Video May Not Be Royalty-Free for Long

in News on May 20, 2010 at 3:45 pm PT

The announcement of Google’s new WebM video format and release of the VP8 video codec as an open standard have been hailed by some as the move that will free the Web from the proprietary H.264 codec widely used for online video today. That seems ideal. But like many ideals, it may prove to be unattainable, particularly now that video standards group MPEG LA is mulling a patent pool for VP8.

Adobe Co-Founder: We Never Abandoned Apple, but Apple Is Abandoning Us

in Mobile on May 14, 2010 at 3:00 am PT

A couple of weeks ago, Apple CEO Steve Jobs published “Thoughts on Flash,” a 1,671-word execration of Adobe’s Flash platform. On Thursday, Adobe co-founders and co-chairmen Chuck Geschke and John Warnock followed suit with some thoughts of their own. Their eight-paragraph essay, “Our Thoughts On Open Markets,” mentions Apple only once, but when it does it is to lambaste the company for its position on Flash. I spoke to Geschke Thursday afternoon about his letter, Adobe’s new “We ? Apple” ad campaign and Apple’s stance on his company’s software. After the jump, a transcript of our conversation.

Netflix: There's a Movie Waiting on Your iPhone

in News on August 4, 2009 at 8:26 am PT

Among the 1,000-plus new features included in Apple’s iPhone 3.0 is a new open standard for live video streaming over HTTP, and soon, Netflix will make use of it. Well, that’s the rumor anyway. An industry executive said to be familiar with the company’s plans tells Multichannel News that Netflix plans to extend its Watch Instantly video-streaming service to the Nintendo Wii and to the iPhone and iPod touch as well.
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Netflix: There’s a Movie Waiting on Your iPhone

in News on August 4, 2009 at 8:26 am PT

Among the 1,000-plus new features included in Apple’s iPhone 3.0 is a new open standard for live video streaming over HTTP, and soon, Netflix will make use of it. Well, that’s the rumor anyway. An industry executive said to be familiar with the company’s plans tells Multichannel News that Netflix plans to extend its Watch Instantly video-streaming service to the Nintendo Wii and to the iPhone and iPod touch as well.
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Facebook: Islands in the Stream [UPDATED]

in News on April 27, 2009 at 12:35 am PT

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is going to turn the social network’s “stream” of user experiences and information into a revenue stream one way or another. And if that means allowing others to pan its waters for gold, then so be it. And so, at an event in Palo Alto later today, Facebook will reportedly announce plans to open its stream to third-party developers, offering them the chance to build new services and applications outside the site that access the status updates, photos and videos uploaded by users.
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